Ecclesiastical celebrates the valuable work of church volunteers

Ecclesiastical has launched Little deeds, big difference, a national competition open to every Anglican church in the UK.

As Ecclesiastical states, ‘Every day, little deeds carried out by church volunteers make a big difference to many ordinary lives, in all sorts of communities. The Little deeds, big difference competition is a celebration of the valuable work that they carry out. No matter how small the action, it’s a chance to recognise the people who tirelessly devote their time and energy to make a difference.’

Churches can nominate an individual (or a group of people) from their congregation who they feel deserve recognition for their volunteering efforts. To emphasise their gratitude and bring their inspirational stories to life, churches are also invited to send in thank-you notes in praise of volunteers to accompany their entry.

The six best entries, chosen by a panel of judges, will be invited to a winner’s lunch, to be held at St Martin-in-the-Fields in London in November. Five winning churches will each receive £2000 and the overall winning church will receive the grand prize of £10,000.

Michael Angell, Church Operations Director at Ecclesiastical, has said: “Church volunteers are unsung local heroes who play such an important role in supporting their local communities. They don’t do it for the thanks, but we felt we’d like to give churches the opportunity to show their appreciation to those who go above the call of duty, no matter how small the deed might seem. We’d like to think that in celebrating voluntary work we’ll also be inspiring others to consider giving some time to help out.”

The annual church competition is aimed at raising awareness of the important role that churches play in society. In 2017, Ecclesiastical’s church competition celebrated the role that churches play in their local communities and the positive change brought about by various community initiatives. Churches were asked to submit a piece of artwork that encapsulated their community offering. More than 270 wonderful and creative submissions formed the Great Community Mural, a 10m x 3m structure which was unveiled at St Paul’s Cathedral before going on to tour cathedrals around the UK.

To find out more about this year’s competition, including how to enter, please see here.